A male South African Cheetah, Suraj, died at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning, said Forest Department officials.
This is the eight death of a cheetah in the KNP in just the past five months.
According to the officials, a monitoring team in the park noticed Suraj in a lethargic condition early morning with flies hovering around it. When the team reached closer, the Cheetah ran away.
The team members informed the veterinary doctors at the park and the control room. A team of doctors reached the spot but when the cheetah was spotted again at around 9 am, it was found to be dead, said officials.
It had injury marks on its neck and back and a detailed report about the exact cause is awaited.
Just two days ago, another male cheetah, Tejas, had died at the park, also possibly due to injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his birthday on 17 September 2022, had released the first batch of eight Namibian cheetahs into the KNP, brought here as part of an ambitious intercontinental cheetah translocation and reintroduction into Indian soil project.
In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were brought to the KNP from South Africa.